ROCKFORD - A dismal jobs market in the second half of 2013 didn't improve during the holiday shopping season.

According to initial estimates by the Illinois Department of Employment Security, the Boone-Winnebago county unemployment rate in December was 11.6. That was up from 11 percent the month before, which was also the rate in December 2012.

It was the highest jobless rate seen locally since March. It also was the second straight month that the rate was higher year over year after having declined 40 of the prior 41 months.

The state estimated there were 144,519 people working in Boone and Winnebago counties in December. That was 3 percent fewer than the 149,026 working in December 2012.

The state said there were declines in logistics employment, financial services and a sharp decline in government employment sectors.

The Rock River Valley wasn't alone in having a sluggish jobs market. Ten of the state's 12 metropolitan areas had higher jobless rates this December compared with 2012. Danville was hit hardest. Its jobless rate jumped from 10 percent in December 2012 to 12.2 percent.

If there was one positive from the monthly report it's that Chicago, the state's main economic engine, saw its unemployment rate fall from 8.6 percent last year to 8.2 percent.

The city of Rockford's jobless rate jumped to 13.2 percent. That's the highest it has been since February. Belvidere's unemployment rate also spiked to 13.3 percent. That's the highest it has been since March.

The Ogle County jobless rate for December was 10.5 percent. It was the first time Ogle was 10 percent or higher since July. Ogle is not included in the Rockford metropolitan area statistics.